Meet Heather
Heather McConnell-Smith is the Performance Improvement Manager of Pipeline Safety Compliance and Quality Assurance at Ameren Illinois based out of the Decatur, IL office. She is the Decatur area Chair of the Women Influencing Success in Energy (WISE), an Ameren employee resource group. Heather has 20 years of industry experience and has been a Project Manager in several different industries including Petrochemical, Oil Refining, and Agricultural. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa. Heather is a Project Management Institute certified Project Management Professional. She is an inventor on Patent 9,253,939 B2 for a method of coating seed. Heather is married to Kevin Smith, and has two children Emma and Avery. She is also a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Decatur Illinois. At St. John's, Heather is a Youth Board Chair. Heather is also the Treasurer of the Decatur Area Women's Network (DAWN).
Professionally she has been recognized with the following corporate awards: Dow Technology Center Award for York Avicta Project 2015, Dow AgroSciences Innovators' Day Award 2014, and 2013. Lyondell Northern Tier Plant Projects Excellence Award March 2008, Lyondell Corporate Operational Excellence Awards 2005: Microthene Unit Reliability Improvement, 2003 Tuscola Science Camp. Lyondell Northern Region Operational Excellence Awards: Operational Excellence Leadership Team.